In hybrid video coding, such as H.263, MPEG-2/4 and H.264, a Lagrangian rate-distortion optimization (RDO) can be used for motion estimations, adaptive field-frame decisions and mode decisions in bit rate allocation. The Lagrangian RDO minimizes a Lagrangian cost J(D, R) as a function of a distortion (D) and a bit rate (R). The Lagrangian cost is determined by equation 1 as follows:J(D,R)=D+λR  Eq. (1)In equation 1, λ (lambda) is referred to as a Lagrangian multiplier. A good selection or adaptive estimation of λ leads to an efficient coder control. Based on experimental data, assumptions of the rate-distortion (R-D) model and the distortion approximation, λ has been resolved for coding in accordance with the H.263 standard per equation 2 as follows:λ=cQ2  Eq. (2)where Q is a quantization step parameter in the H.263 standard and c is a constant. The constant c is typically set to a value of 0.85. For the H.264 standard, λ is calculated per equation 3 as follows:λ=c2^((Q−12)/3)  Eq. (3)where Q is a quantization parameter in the H.264 standard.